Two people were killed and six others were injured after an exchange of gunfire between two armed individuals in midtown Toronto on Saturday, with the incident taking place shortly after 8 p.m. during the opening night of the annual Salsa on St. Clair street festival, which had drawn an estimated 13,000 attendees to the area of St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue.
Toronto police said officers initially responded to reports of an active shooter near St. Clair Avenue West and Arlington Avenue shortly after 8 p.m. before determining the violence stemmed from two gunmen firing at one another. Toronto Police Service Deputy Chief Frank Barredo later clarified during a late-night press briefing that the violence was not a random assault on the crowd, but rather an isolated conflict. “This seemed to be an exchange of gunfire between individuals targeting each other – obviously, indiscriminately putting vast numbers of people in great danger,” Barredo said.
According to officials, one victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second man succumbed to his injuries after being transported to a local hospital. Paramedics transported four additional victims to medical facilities with severe injuries. First responders arrived to find a highly unstable environment where fleeing attendees were reportedly trampling one another to escape the gunfire. Reflecting on the immediate aftermath, Barredo told reporters, “There were people that were injured, there were people that were down,” describing the location as “a very active and chaotic scene.”
Barredo said investigators recovered two firearms and were continuing to search for those responsible. No suspects have been arrested, and investigators believe they are searching for two armed individuals who fled the area before police arrived. Local leaders expressed swift condemnation of the event, with Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow stating, “I’m deeply disturbed and angry about this reckless, irresponsible act of violence,” adding that it occurred “right in the middle of a festival attended by families, children, seniors. Just beyond words how disturbed I am.”
The final day of the two-day Latino-themed cultural celebration, which typically attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors over the weekend, was officially canceled Sunday morning to allow for the ongoing forensic investigation. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also released a statement regarding the tragedy, expressing that he was “devastated by the senseless violence at the Salsa on St. Clair Festival that has claimed two lives and injured others.”
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